Lights defeat Bears to solidify conference standing

Locked in a tight battle for third place in the Frontier Conference standings, Montana State University- Northern Lights had to have Thursday night's game in the Armory Gymnasium.

And they got it.

In front of a raucous crowd, Northern won the rubber match with Rocky Mountain College, 79-60, improving to 6-7 in the Frontier, and moving two games clear of the rest of the field for third place. And it was a much-needed win for Northern, which had won just one of its last five, and lost to the Battlin' Bears the last time they were Havre.

"I am just very pleased overall with our performance. We blew some opportunities at times, but made up for it with our defense. Our leaders got us started. But our supporting cast stepped up when needed, and finished it off," Northern head coach Shawn Huse said.

It was a big win for Northern, which was sparked by early 3-pointers by Tanner McCliment-Call, and the reemergence of Jesse Keltner, who had missed several games with an injury. Keltner sparked the Lights to an 8-0 run midway through the first half, and Northern ultimately led 30-23.

In the second half, the Lights got red-hot, especially when Mascio McCadney hit a fadeaway 3-pointer as the shot-clock expired, and McCliment-Call hit a transition three on the next possession. That sequence put the Lights up 13 points and from there, Northern was off and running, with everybody getting into the act, including Immanuel Anderson, who had a big game for the Lights in the paint.

"Rocky did not go away easy," Huse said. "They have several guys who can make plays for them. It is no easy task putting them away - I am proud of the effort from tip to finish that we got, and the way we seized control."

Indeed. They did play well. Northern shot 48 percent for the night, made eight triples and out-rebounded the Battlin' Bears 36-30. McCadney would pour in 24 points on 10-of-21 shooting with four threes for a huge night. Anderson added 17 points, while Keltner had 10 points and seven boards and David Harris chipped in with eight points and 10 assists..

Northern's defense was really good, too. The Lights held Rocky to just 39 percent shooting, forced 17 turnovers and the Bears made just four triples, as the Lights took the season series 2-1.

Now, MSU-N (17-10, 6-7) will look to lock up third place with a win over Montana Western this Saturday. The Lights meet the Bulldogs at 4 p.m. on senior day in the Armory Gymnasium.

Lights 79, Rocky Mountain 60

RMC - Nick Hart 4-6 0-0 8. Jesse Owens 7-16 4-5 20, Abdul Bah 4-12 1-2 9, Kaci Robinson 2-7 1-2 16, Maxim Stephens 0-4 0-0 0, Josh Eckmann 1-1 0-0 2, Beau Sanistevan 5-7 4-5 16. Totals: 23-58 10-14.

MSU-N - Immanuel Anderson 8-8 0-1 17, David Harris 3-14 2-3 8, Mascio McCadney 10-21 0-0 24, CJ Nelson 1-4 0-0 2, TJ Reynolds 1-3 0-0 2, Jesse Keltner 5-6 0-0 10, Anthony Braggs Jr., 2-4 0-0- 4, Tanner McLiment-Call 3-7 0-0 9, Zyare Ruffin 1-3 0-0 3. Totals: 34-71 8-26.

Halftime: Northern 79-60. 3-pointers: RMC 4-14 (Owens 2, Sanistevan 2). MSU-N: 8-26 (Anderson 1, McCadney 4, McCliment-Call 3). Rebounds: RMC 30 (Hart 8), MSU-N 36 (Anderson 8). Fouls: RMC 13, MSU-N 13.